About Kalimpong

Kalimpong has come a long way since 1865 with a handful of families relying on their livestock. It is inhabited today by different community and religion. In early1700’s it came under the Bhutanese and became the headquarter of the Bhutanese government for sometime so glimpses of Bhutanese influences can still be seen in the gumbas and the Bhutan house where the royalty resides ,later Kalimpong was merged with Darjeeling and the British developed an alternative hill station to Darjeeling. Kalimpong offered easy access to Chumbi valley of Tibet via Jelepla pass which is about 120 km from Kalimpong. Trade with Tibet was fully canalised through Kalimpong which was a major reason for development. The Scottish missionaries also played an important part in establishing primary schools and welfare centres. The two oldest school of Kalimpong “Girls High School” and “Scottish University Mission Institution” which was established by the Scottish missionaries. It was because of famous westerners like William McFarlane,W.S Sutherland and Dr J.A Graham they had a big hand in development in the early days. The main ethnic group of Kalimpong are Nepali, Bhutia and Lepcha, spoken language are English,Nepali,Hindi,Bengali and Tibetan. Kalimpong is one of the largest sub-div of India its area is 1056.5 sq km its altitude is 1250 – 1600 meters for town area countryside averages to 1600 – 1800 meters maximum altitude of Rachela is 3152 meters. Temperature during Summer from March to June ranges from 15 degree Celsius to 25 degree Celsius its sunny and mild with flora in full bloom, Monsoon ranges from mid July to mid September with drifting clouds, rain and lush green vegetation, during autumn and winter from September to February temperature ranges from 7 degree celsius to15 degree Celsius with blue skies and clear view of the majestic snow covered peaks,except for Monsoon Kalimpong is a wonderful place to visit throughout. Kalimpong is renowned for its cheese, lollipops and noodles it exports a wide range of traditional handicraft, wood carving, embroidered items, bags and purses with tapestry work copper ware scrolls Tibetan jewellery and artefacts.

Durpin Gumba, Kalimpong

Kalimpong, Nov. 19: The golden jubilee of the Zangdok Palri gumba atop Durpin Hill here was observed today with a colourful programme at the monastery.
Devotees from different parts of the Darjeeling hills, Sikkim and Bhutan took part in prayers and watched cultural programmes to celebrate the day. Tourists, both domestic and foreign, were also seen enjoying themselves at the monastery, which over the years has become a major attraction for visitors to this hill town.
Work on Zangdok Palri began on May 13, 1957 and the gumba was inaugurated on November 19 the same year. This was preceded by around 11 years of collecting money for the monastery. Nawang Namgyal Sherpa, the then secretary of the Gumba Nirman Committee that was formed in 1946, is given the sole credit for organising the fund-raising drive.
Over the years, the monastery has grown, with new structures coming up on the complex. The current president of the gumba, Tshering Sherpa, told The Telegraph today that efforts will now be made to preserve the monastery like a heritage property.

golf course, Kalimpong

A 9 hole golf course perched on a hill side with fabulous views this Army course will delight you with its quirks & twists. Its a challenging layout as the undulating hilly terrain makes it difficult to gauge distances & one is often left short or long of the target.
Located enroute to the famous Durpin monastery this course is open to visitors (except foreigners). It is located at a elevation of about 4000 feet & makes for ideal golf as the mild weather conditions through most of the year make for a pleasant round of golf. It can get very cold in Dec /Jan though.
Kalimpong is located 50 kms from Darjeeling & about 65 kms from Siliguri. The closest airport is Bagdogra (90kms).

Hanging bridge, Loleygaon

This is a one-of-its-kind-Canopy-Walk which would be etched in your memories for ever. This Canopy Walk is a wooden-plank and rope hanging foot-bridge which connects one tree to another - about 20-40 feet above the ground in the Forest and 180 metres long each - 10 kilometres near Lolegaon. This is a very rare experience as it is available at very few places in India. This Canopy Walk would allow sightings of rare birds all day. The Canopy Walk is guaranteed to make you want to go back multiple times. Just strap on your binoculars and camera and off you go.
The hanging bridges do swing a lot while you tread on them so people with Vertigo might find it challenging.
The forest is also great for Nature-treks inside it to a certain extent. You can see colourful birds and butterflies here.
These forests are also the natural habitats of the Himalayan Black Bears and Wild Goats who fancy chasing. Unless you have a forest-guide with you do not venture deep into the forests.

pineview, Kalimpong

PINEVIEW RESORT is situated about one and a half kilometer away from the Kalimpong town (30 minutes walk or a few minutes drive from the Kalimpong bus stand) in the premises of famous PINEVIEW NURSERY, PINEVIEW NURSERY has a hundred of variety of cactus plants collected from North, South and Central America and are grown in thousands. In the immediate vicinity is Kallimpong’s famous Kalibari and Chitrabhanu. (once Guru Rabindra Nath Tagore’s summer home).
PLEASE STEP IN TO PINEVIEW RESORT and enjoy free entrance to PINEVIEW NURSERY. Feast your eyes on the snow capped Kanchenjangha range, the rushing Teesta River and the most exotic variety of flora, as you look around you from PINEVIEW RESORT. Sip your very special Darjeeling tea as you walk about on the pathways, not forgetting the special flavours that go into the daily cuisine of your PINEVIEW RESORT